North Carolina

[freebrickproductions]

Let NC greet all the new residents with neglected maintenance and thousands of county road signs riddled with buckshot and rural blight.

(Emphasis mine)

You act like that's really any different from literally any other state in the southeast, with maybe an exception for Florida.

[Mapmikey]

One thing NC is definitely doing, though may be a District thing:  Some large swaths of NC are no longer posting the SR 10xx routes on larger white rectangles.

Another is that the once ubiquitous white rectangle signs at most intersections with a distance to somewhere are quickly disappearing except in eastern NC.  Western NC used these to show road names or dead end road alerting, since many of the roads in the mountains don't go anywhere.

[fillup420]

One thing NC is definitely doing, though may be a District thing:  Some large swaths of NC are no longer posting the SR 10xx routes on larger white rectangles.

Another is that the once ubiquitous white rectangle signs at most intersections with a distance to somewhere are quickly disappearing except in eastern NC.  Western NC used these to show road names or dead end road alerting, since many of the roads in the mountains don't go anywhere.

I love the white distance markers, i wish they would make a comeback outside of the coastal plain. they are so simple yet effective.

 I also love the use of wooden posts for nearly all small signage down east (highway shields, speed limits, etc).

[Dirt Roads]

I've been distracted with home repair issues lately, so not surprised that I totally missed this news:

The budget passed by the North Carolina Legislature back on July 6, 2026 includes a provision that all NCDOT Ferry Division routes be tolled by January 1, 2027.  The budget legislation now mandates that the entirety of NCDOT Ferry Division toll revenues generate sufficient income to fund the replacement costs of NCDOT ferry vessels.

Currently, there are three free ferries in North Carolina:  NC-306 Cherry Branch -to- Minnesott Beach; NC-12 Hatteras -to- Ocracoke (east end of the island); and NC-45 Swan Quarter -to- Ocracoke (Silver Lake, the inlet lagoon on the west end of the island).  The latter service connects Ocracoke with the mainland portion of Hyde County.  Note that Ocracoke still has a K-12 primary school, which appears to be the smallest high school (G9-12) in the state.  Today's news indicates that the NCDOT Ferry Division also requires an annual $150 ferry pass for residents of twenty North Carolina counties.

I haven't been able to discern whether this mandate will also apply to the Hammocks Beach ferry, which is operated by the North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation (ergo, ferry access to this historically-Black beach which is now a popular State Park).

[Dirt Roads]

^^^
It appears that there three more tollfree ferries in North Carolina subject to the new tolling mandate as well:

• NC-211 Southport -to- Fort Fisher
• NC-306 Aurora -to- Bayview
• NC-615 Currituck -to- Knotts Island ferry

[dfilpus]

^^^
It appears that there three more tollfree ferries in North Carolina subject to the new tolling mandate as well:

• NC-211 Southport -to- Fort Fisher

Southport-Fort Fisher Ferry is not toll free.

[architect77]

One thing NC is definitely doing, though may be a District thing:  Some large swaths of NC are no longer posting the SR 10xx routes on larger white rectangles.

Another is that the once ubiquitous white rectangle signs at most intersections with a distance to somewhere are quickly disappearing except in eastern NC.  Western NC used these to show road names or dead end road alerting, since many of the roads in the mountains don't go anywhere.

I love the white distance markers, i wish they would make a comeback outside of the coastal plain. they are so simple yet effective.

 I also love the use of wooden posts for nearly all small signage down east (highway shields, speed limits, etc).

Ugghh.I don't like the wooden posts at all. It looks hillbilly to me, but that's just my opinion. Interestingly, California mounts many shoulder signs on wood posts, at it did when I lived out there in the 90s.

[architect77]

Let NC greet all the new residents with neglected maintenance and thousands of county road signs riddled with buckshot and rural blight.

(Emphasis mine)

You act like that's really any different from literally any other state in the southeast, with maybe an exception for Florida.

The point is, I'd rather not have all of the various little signs along every NC route throughout the counties if it they remain for 30 years, bent, crooked, faded, leaning like all of the tiny yellow stripe signs at creeks and culverts. etc.

When I see grossly overlooked maintenance items like that for years on end go unaddressed, it adds to the feeling of decline of oversight so often now seen in this country. It's like no one notices the details anymore, windows go unwashed, business exterior signage always has bulbs burned out for months and years, that's just my take.

What are the numbers of abandoned vehicles like these days in NC? In Atlanta, someone posted on some forum that they were shocked to see "so many" disabled vehicles along the freeways. Then they clarified that there was always "at least one" on every interstate in Atlanta.

I was like I've seen 10-15 disabled cars in just a few miles of roadways outside of Raleigh before. There are several on the Beltline when I'm home. I hope they tow them quickly. These posters from the Midwest made it known that it was something they're not used to seeing.

[roadman65]

I couldn't help notice that in Asheville that US 74A is no longer signed along South Tunnel Road between Tunnel Road ( US 70) and NC 81.

Nor is it signed at the intersections of South Tunnel and Tunnel or South Tunnel and NC 81.

Is US 74A decommissioned on South Tunnel Road or is it typical carelessness by NCDOT?

[74/171FAN]

I couldn't help notice that in Asheville that US 74A is no longer signed along South Tunnel Road between Tunnel Road ( US 70) and NC 81.

Nor is it signed at the intersections of South Tunnel and Tunnel or South Tunnel and NC 81.

Is US 74A decommissioned on South Tunnel Road or is it typical carelessness by NCDOT?

I'd assume just carelessness. 

[D-Dey65]

I need some information from anybody who knows something about Jackson County, North Carolina? Specifically, what is the status of the community of "Speedwell?" I saw a bunch of pictures of that place in Wikimedia Commons, but no evidence that it's even an unincorporated community.

[Dirt Roads]

I need some information from anybody who knows something about Jackson County, North Carolina? Specifically, what is the status of the community of "Speedwell?" I saw a bunch of pictures of that place in Wikimedia Commons, but no evidence that it's even an unincorporated community.

Speedwell is a "settlement" alongside Cullowhee Creek in the southern part of Cullowhee, North Carolina (not too awful far from Western Carolina University).  [In Appalachia, the term settlement typically refers to a cluster of homes not associated with any community related businesses, industries or churches.]  Compounding the issue is that "Cullowhee" is itself not an incorporated town or city, but rather one of the county districts (known as townships in North Carolina).  Speedwell Church is further upstream and it predates the county by about 11 years. 

For the record, there is definitely a "town" surrounding the college campus and it is located surrounding the Cullowhee Mound (Joolth-cullah-wee), the site of a long-abandoned Cherokee village.  As the college environment has grown around the "town" into the township, the "settlement" of Speedwell has been slowly absorbed into the "town".  A small portion of the "settlement" of Speedwell is still "outside of town".  My impression is that the old-timers in the "town" part of the settlement still refer to the area as "Speedwell", whereas the newcomers and college kids refer to it generically as "down in south Cullowhee".

[WashuOtaku]

I need some information from anybody who knows something about Jackson County, North Carolina? Specifically, what is the status of the community of "Speedwell?" I saw a bunch of pictures of that place in Wikimedia Commons, but no evidence that it's even an unincorporated community.

It is an actual place on a map, it is both on GNIS (#1018176) and on NCDOT county maps. It is southwest of Western Carolina University along Tilley Creek Road. Yes, it can be identified as a unincorporated community as there is a church located there with the name and I even found a record of a post office for it from 1893-1952. Hope that helps.

[WashuOtaku]

I couldn't help notice that in Asheville that US 74A is no longer signed along South Tunnel Road between Tunnel Road ( US 70) and NC 81.

Nor is it signed at the intersections of South Tunnel and Tunnel or South Tunnel and NC 81.

Is US 74A decommissioned on South Tunnel Road or is it typical carelessness by NCDOT?

Looking on Google Maps, I see signs at the split from NC 81, at Swannannoa River Road and Fairview Road. It appears the signage was removed during construction at South Tunnel and Swannannoa River Road. Generally though, bad signage on Tunnel and South Tunnel Roads.

I validated on NCDOT county maps and it still shows that is the route (as of July 2026).

Maybe notifying NCDOT online that there is poor route signage there would be helpful.

[roadman65]

I couldn't help notice that in Asheville that US 74A is no longer signed along South Tunnel Road between Tunnel Road ( US 70) and NC 81.

Nor is it signed at the intersections of South Tunnel and Tunnel or South Tunnel and NC 81.

Is US 74A decommissioned on South Tunnel Road or is it typical carelessness by NCDOT?

Looking on Google Maps, I see signs at the split from NC 81, at Swannannoa River Road and Fairview Road. It appears the signage was removed during construction at South Tunnel and Swannannoa River Road. Generally though, bad signage on Tunnel and South Tunnel Roads.

I validated on NCDOT county maps and it still shows that is the route (as of July 2026).

Maybe notifying NCDOT online that there is poor route signage there would be helpful.

I also noticed that west of Asheville that where US 74A is concurrent with US 19 & 23 it is not signed at the split from I-26 & 240 nor is it signed on I-40 & US 74 where the routes interchange west of the I-40 & I-26 exchange.  To me if NCDOT is not going to sign the route with both US 18 and US 23, why not just have it end at the I-26 & I-40 interchange instead.

Its as useless as Arkansas having a business route for US 71 in Fort Smith where the parent route isn't even signed because it secondary to I-540 where it exists.

[D-Dey65]

I need some information from anybody who knows something about Jackson County, North Carolina? Specifically, what is the status of the community of "Speedwell?" I saw a bunch of pictures of that place in Wikimedia Commons, but no evidence that it's even an unincorporated community.

Speedwell is a "settlement" alongside Cullowhee Creek in the southern part of Cullowhee, North Carolina (not too awful far from Western Carolina University).  [In Appalachia, the term settlement typically refers to a cluster of homes not associated with any community related businesses, industries or churches.]  Compounding the issue is that "Cullowhee" is itself not an incorporated town or city, but rather one of the county districts (known as townships in North Carolina).  Speedwell Church is further upstream and it predates the county by about 11 years. 

For the record, there is definitely a "town" surrounding the college campus and it is located surrounding the Cullowhee Mound (Joolth-cullah-wee), the site of a long-abandoned Cherokee village.  As the college environment has grown around the "town" into the township, the "settlement" of Speedwell has been slowly absorbed into the "town".  A small portion of the "settlement" of Speedwell is still "outside of town".  My impression is that the old-timers in the "town" part of the settlement still refer to the area as "Speedwell", whereas the newcomers and college kids refer to it generically as "down in south Cullowhee".

I need some information from anybody who knows something about Jackson County, North Carolina? Specifically, what is the status of the community of "Speedwell?" I saw a bunch of pictures of that place in Wikimedia Commons, but no evidence that it's even an unincorporated community.

It is an actual place on a map, it is both on GNIS (#1018176) and on NCDOT county maps. It is southwest of Western Carolina University along Tilley Creek Road. Yes, it can be identified as a unincorporated community as there is a church located there with the name and I even found a record of a post office for it from 1893-1952. Hope that helps.

Thanks to both of you for the data.